My Travel Blog

Next stop… Ballarat!

After my nice relaxing trip to Cairns, it was time to move back towards Victoria. I would spend a few days in Ballarat, a small town around 100 kilometres from Melbourne itself. One thing that the stay in Cairns had helped me realise is that I really do not need to do everything at 100 miles per hour.

The town itself is not very big by American standards and only around 100 000 people live in it. I loved the town, but found it really hard to get going in the mornings to get out and see it. Let me tell you why…

Comfy cushions mean more sleep!

The bed and breakfast establishment I stayed at was possibly one of the best I have ever been in. My room had a beautiful four poster bed, filled with a massive amount of cushions and pillows. They were incredibly stylish, so much so that I had to ask the owners where they had got them. When I arrived, I just dumped myself in the middle of all the cushions and listened to the sounds outside the wide open windows. It was so tranquil and still, not like in a bustling city. The noisiest thing were the birds singing and that was just beautiful.

As I had arrived late yesterday afternoon, I decided to relax in my room and ordered a couple of beers. There I was, relaxing in my dressing gown (which has been another favourite accessory of mine for this trip) when the owner walks in and invites me for supper. I was more than happy to go with him, but told him that I needed to change first. He wasn’t having any of it and told me to follow him. Supper was brilliant! Pork chops, roast potatoes, and at least 5 veggies were all served up. Brian, the owner, talked up a storm, asking all kinds of questions about my trip. He was a really nice guy, but I felt a bit strange hanging out with him in my dressing gown!

At the end of the evening I went upstairs to collapse on all those comfy cushions. I slept like a baby.

Today, I was awoken by a knock on the door. Juliet, Brian’s wife had brought me the biggest breakfast I had ever seen. Bacon, eggs, sausage and mushrooms filled the plate. Man, they can eat here! I was so stuffed that I just spent the rest of the morning in my room.

This afternoon I decided to get out and see a bit of the town. There are some great attractions in Ballarat. I spent some time on a historical walking tour around the town and later visited the beautiful Botanical Gardens.

Tomorrow I intend to get a lot done including the Ballarat Art Gallery , the famous Bird World and I really want to race some laps at the Indoor Kart Centre.